Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Stenungsund

For one person, living is cheaper in Stenungsund: $1,887 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index
91

Cost of Living Index in Stenungsund
Learn more

Stenungsund Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Stenungsund

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,887

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Stenungsund

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Dubai and in Stenungsund actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,896 in Dubai versus $1,887 in Stenungsund.

Dubai $2,896
Stenungsund $1,887

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,468 in Dubai versus $2,880 in Stenungsund.

Dubai $4,468
Stenungsund $2,880

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,040 in Dubai versus $3,872 in Stenungsund.

Dubai $6,040
Stenungsund $3,872

Living in Dubai is roughly 53% more expensive than in Stenungsund, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dubai 113% above, Stenungsund 39% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.73 AED 46.74

$14.02 SEK 139

-9.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.5 AED 299

$66.8 SEK 664

21.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.68 AED 35.55

$8.64 SEK 85.8

12.04%

Cappuccino

$5.97 AED 21.93

$4.40 SEK 43.67

35.68%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 AED 6.10

$1.47 SEK 14.60

12.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 AED 3.00

$2.22 SEK 22.03

-63.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.38 AED 49.13

$7.03 SEK 69.9

90.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.60 AED 49.94

$6.89 SEK 68.5

97.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 AED 6.66

$1.43 SEK 14.21

26.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 AED 5.68

$3.15 SEK 31.26

-50.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.57

$5.60 SEK 55.7

-53.57%

Eggs

$3.58 AED 13.16

$5.23 SEK 51.9

-31.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.12 AED 44.52

$13.62 SEK 135

-11.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.50 AED 34.90

$13.38 SEK 133

-29.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.88 AED 51.0

$16.96 SEK 168

-18.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 AED 9.67

$3.24 SEK 32.14

-18.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.97

$2.67 SEK 26.49

-28.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 AED 6.81

$2.05 SEK 20.39

-9.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 AED 5.51

$4.62 SEK 45.91

-67.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 AED 4.36

$1.43 SEK 14.19

-16.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.70

$1.74 SEK 17.32

-41.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 AED 6.10

$2.26 SEK 22.44

-26.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 AED 2.27

$1.82 SEK 18.04

-65.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.11 AED 22.42

$7.35 SEK 73.0

-16.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.08 AED 59.1

$8.14 SEK 80.8

97.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 AED 9.95

$2.00 SEK 19.89

35.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 AED 11.10

$2.21 SEK 21.93

36.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 AED 5.39

$2.57 SEK 25.52

-42.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.0 AED 246

$77.9 SEK 773

-13.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.35 AED 12.31

$13.37 SEK 133

-74.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 AED 2.48

$2.05 SEK 20.41

-66.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.24 AED 30.24

$81.3 SEK 808

-89.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 AED 3.40

$1.76 SEK 17.48

-47.73%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$26.0K AED 95.5K

$32.7K SEK 324.5K

-20.45%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$21.5K AED 79.0K

$33.8K SEK 335.9K

-36.39%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$248 AED 910

$178 SEK 1,768

39.18%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$56.2 AED 206

$28.89 SEK 287

94.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$93.8 AED 344

$47.61 SEK 473

96.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.1 AED 335

$37.19 SEK 369

145.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.35 AED 167

$26.84 SEK 267

68.96%

Cinema Ticket

$16.58 AED 60.9

$17.15 SEK 170

-3.32%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$949 AED 3,486

$219 SEK 2,176

333.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K AED 62.8K

$5,035 SEK 50.0K

239.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 AED 259

$98.0 SEK 973

-28.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.7 AED 227

$53.0 SEK 527

16.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 AED 370

$95.1 SEK 944

5.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 AED 419

$218 SEK 2,169

-47.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,510 AED 9,217

$813 SEK 8,071

208.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,537 AED 5,644

$606 SEK 6,014

153.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,106 AED 18.8K

$1,378 SEK 13.7K

270.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,110 AED 11.4K

$1,002 SEK 9,947

210.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,216 AED 26.5K

$3,961 SEK 39.3K

82.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,383 AED 16.1K

$2,832 SEK 28.1K

54.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,556 AED 13.1K

$1,935 SEK 19.2K

83.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

2.8

62.14%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Dubai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Stenungsund: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 53.1%

Stenungsund

$606 32.1% 60.6% $931

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$398 13.7%

Stenungsund

$254 13.5% 36% $143

Eating Out

Dubai

$307 10.6%

Stenungsund

$255 13.5% 16.9% $52

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$295 10.2%

Stenungsund

$381 20.2% 29.1% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$156 5.4%

Stenungsund

$209 11.1% 33.8% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$124 4.3%

Stenungsund

$72 3.8% 42.5% $53

Getting Around

Dubai

$80 2.8%

Stenungsund

$112 5.9% 40.4% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,510 in Dubai and $813 in Stenungsund. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 84% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $81 in Dubai vs $67 in Stenungsund. Groceries flip the comparison at $295 vs $381, with Dubai cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇸🇪 Stenungsund

🕒 Local time

18:43 6:43 PM

15:43 3:43 PM

3 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

27,842

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.245 EUR

100 SEK = 10.07 USD

100 SEK = 9.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.09 AED (1 AED = 0.245 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.93 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.05 SEK (100 SEK = 9.05 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dubai Stenungsund 4,990 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Stenungsund

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Dubai vs Stenungsund: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Stenungsund is cheaper overall, especially in utilities, leisure, and eating out. The 53% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 84% higher in Dubai, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,510 in Dubai versus $813 in Stenungsund. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Dubai runs roughly 14% less than in Stenungsund. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $949 in Dubai versus $219 in Stenungsund. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Dubai and Stenungsund are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Stenungsund wins on affordability, Dubai on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.